How to Stock a Pantry
A kitchen, no matter how lovely it is, is useless without any food stocked in it. Every smart homeowner knows how important it is to stock a pantry, so food items for great meals are always within their reach. If you don’t know how to properly stock a pantry, here are some tips to remember.
What You’ll Need:
Food items
Kitchen/pantry space
Refrigerator
Grocery list
Containers (jars, resealable bags)
Prepare The Pantry Space
Make sure your pantry is spacious enough for the various food items you’re going to stock. It should be dry and inside (or near) the kitchen. Inspect your cupboards, cabinets, drawers and surface area. Are they enough to hold your supplies? If not, then you might need to purchase or build an extra cabinet. The pantry should also be clean, and free from household pests. Make sure you clean it regularly.
Stock Up On Food Staples
When stocking your pantry, the first items you have to get are the food staples. These make up the majority of your meals. Food staples include:
Rice and Pasta - Keep these in plastic or glass jars with tight screw-on lids to prevent insects from feeding on them. Rice grains stay good for a long time, but they can go rancid, so make sure you use them.
Bread and other pastries - Purchase a bread box for these. Baking soda and flour are also a must, especially if you bake your own bread.
Fruits and Vegetables - While some can be placed in a fruit basket on top of the pantry, there are some that need to be refrigerated, to maintain their crispiness and flavor. Yams, onions and potatoes can also stay on the pantry surface.
Cereal and oatmeal - Breakfast cereals usually come in resealable boxes, but for safety measure, put them in jars as well.
Beans - Uncooked beans can be placed inside sealed jars too. There are also varieties that come in cans.
Snack Items - These comer in handy for times when you go hungry in between meals. Get crackers, biscuits, dried fruits, chips and trail mix.
Stock Up On Food Items You Always Eat
Many homes have certain types of dishes that are always served, almost like a tradition. For example, every weekend, you always eat meatloaf and potatoes, or you have spaghetti on Fridays. Get the ingredients for these dishes and put them in your pantry. It’ll be a shame if you’re ready to prepare your spaghetti, only to find out there’s no tomato sauce in the house.
Get Some Canned Food Items
There are many great reasons to have canned goods in your pantry: they come in different kinds, they’re handy when emergencies arise, and they are ideal substitute for food items that you can’t get fresh. Some examples of canned goods you should get are:
Sardines and tuna
Preserved fruits (cherries, raspberries, pineapple and oranges)
Broth (chicken, vegetable and beef)
Sauces (marinara, tomato)
Milk (condensed or evaporated)
Canned goods have expiration dates, so make sure you use them weeks before the date comes.
Stock Up On Kitchen Condiments And Recipe Ingredients
Dinner preparation won’t be the same without food condiments. Some of the must-haves are:
Cooking oil - vegetable, corn and olive oil
Herbs and spices - garlic, pepper, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, basil, kosher salt
Cheese, Butter and margarine - To be placed in the fridge
Salt
Sugar and other sweeteners (honey and syrup)
Vinegar
Soy sauce
Stock The Freezer
The freezer is your pantry’s extension, where you place food must-haves that easily become spoiled. Put meat such as beef and ****, in it, as well as poultry and fish.
It’s great to always have food items in the pantry, so preparing meals wouldn’t be too much of a hassle anymore. Make it a habit to go to the grocery once or twice a week to get food items that you’ve used up. As long as your pantry’s filled with food, meal times will be a breeze!